"To" Wedding Album - or - "Not To" Wedding Album
My advice to those who are betrothed is to invest in the two things that will last at the end of the wedding day: your marriage and your photographs. When selecting a wedding photo package, consider one that includes a wedding album! Why, do you ask?
My advice to those who are betrothed is to invest in the two things that will last at the end of the wedding day: your marriage and your photographs. When selecting a wedding photo package, consider one that includes a wedding album! Why, do you ask? Digital photographs of your wedding are awesome; there’s no denying that! Naturally, you’ll want to save your digital photographs to your computer (along with a few hard drives and an online storage option). By creating an album of your favourite images, you’re ensuring your beautiful wedding day is easily viewed and remembered year after year.
Albums are press-printed and made using the finest materials and paper. Two of my most popular albums are the 14x11 and the 10x10. Both boast a fibre cotton blend material for the cover as well as archival matte paper. For a smooth colour transition, a 6 colour printing system is used. The pages are hinged, which allows the album to lay flat; a very nice feature for panoramic shots. Albums include the couples name and wedding date embossed on the lower right-hand corner. As a protective feature, all albums come in a matching box.
The 14x11 Album
The 10x10 Album
For details on photo packages that come with wedding albums and the a la carte pricing for albums, please click “here” to access the online “Fiander Foto Magazine: Weddings”.
Engagement Photos: 5 Reasons to Book
You're engaged! Yay! By now, the confetti has been thrown, the bubbly has been popped, your best friend has mapped out the bars you'll go to for your hen night or stag party, and now the first big question arrives: "should we book an engagement shoot?” or “should we book an engagement shoot with our wedding photos as a package?" Decisions... decisions... Let's check out some reasons why it's a fabulous idea to book an engagement shoot.
You're engaged! Yay! By now, the confetti has been thrown, the bubbly has been popped, your best friend has mapped out the bars you'll go to for your hen night or stag party, and now the first big questions arrive: "should we book an engagement shoot?” or “should we book an engagement shoot with our wedding photos as a package?" Decisions... decisions... Let's check out some reasons why it's a fabulous idea to book an engagement shoot:
(1) It's a good opportunity for you and your fiancé to "break the ice" and spend time with your photographer before your wedding day. This will allow you both to have an understanding of the photographer's shooting style and to feel more comfortable in front of their camera on your big day. It's also a great way to learn different posing techniques. (2) Your engagement photos can serve a very practical use. They can be printed on your Save the Dates, Wedding Website, Invitations, Thank You Cards, and/or Guest Book. Personalizing these items can make the whole wedding experience a bit more fun for everyone! Your engagement photos also make for great gifts to family or friends.
(3) Your engagement photos can be sent out to your local newspaper or school alumni magazine to announce your good news! (4) The time right after you've become engaged is special; full of hope, love, and ideas for the future! Use this time to capture these new and happy emotions! Although these same ecstatic feelings will be photographed on your wedding day - that day will move very quick! The engagement session is when you and your fiancé can really soak it all in!
(5) Last but not least: it's a fun activity to do with your honey! Along with receiving the engagement photos, you'll be able to "check off" another little adventure with your fiancé. You'll want the backdrop for your pictures to look awesome, which gives you a good excuse to plan a trip to a fun new spot! Many times my clients tell me, "if it wasn't for this shoot, we may not have visited this exact beach" or "fort" or "park". Particularly if you're visiting from away, an engagement shoot can be a great way to explore a beautiful place with a photographer who knows the area well! Regardless of whether or not you're going to book an engagement shoot separate from your wedding photo package, there are lots of good reasons to have engagement photos taken!
A special "shout out" to Anna & Thomas; the lovely couple seen in the photos! These two flew down to Bermuda to plan their June 2018 wedding at the Fairmont Southampton. Between meetings with their event planner and hangout sessions with friends, Anna and Thomas met up with me for a sunrise engagement shoot at Horseshoe Bay Beach. From Horseshoe, we went to Gibbs Lighthouse, and ended our "photo tour" at Jobson's Cove! I'm looking forward to shooting their wedding next year!
Natural Light & The Golden Hour
Let's talk about natural light and a term photographer's use often: The Golden Hour. This time of day occurs around sunrise and sunset when the light is soft and golden. Because this light is so flattering, it’s the ideal time to take portraits outside! If you’re scheduling your bridal or group portraits for a wedding or are thinking of investing in an outdoor photo shoot, consider the time of day and how the natural light will affect your images.
Let's talk about natural light and a term photographer's use often, The Golden Hour!
This time of day occurs around sunrise and sunset when the light is soft and golden. Because this light is so flattering, it’s the ideal time to take portraits outside! If you’re scheduling your bridal or group portraits for a wedding or are thinking of investing in an outdoor photo shoot, consider the time of day and how the natural light will affect your images.
So when exactly is sunrise and sunset time throughout the year? I enjoy using SunCalc when figuring out when the sunrise and sunset times will be. When using SunCalc, be sure to enter the location of your photo shoot. Initially, you'll see the times for dawn, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and dusk. The "more detailed" option will also point out night, astronomical twilight, nautical twilight, civil twilight, and the full daylight hours.
For morning sessions, I encourage clients to arrive at sunrise. The morning light can be soft up to 60 or 90 minutes after sunrise. Before you cross an early AM photo shoot off your list, it's also important to note that there are fewer tourists at the prime location spots during sunrise hours. Depending on the length of a photo shoot in the evening, I usually encourage clients to link up anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour before sunset. Shooting through sunset time and into civil twilight time (or vice versa with a sunrise session) can also create some amazing images.
Throughout this blog post, you'll see photo examples that occurred during the Golden Hour. You'll notice an overall sense of soft lighting as well as the direction of the sunlight. You'll also notice some couples standing in the shade, which creates a soft light. A partly cloudy day can also be great for outdoor photos because the clouds diffuse the sunlight, making it a little softer.
Below are photo examples of what the natural light can look like on a sunny day outside of the Golden Hours. If your photo shoot is occurring on the beach or in a wide open space that doesn't provide shade, you may end up with a harder sense of light versus soft. The first batch images were shot mid-April before the Golden Hour between 4:00-5:30pm; sunset occurs around 7:45pm this time of year in Bermuda. The second batch of images was shot mid-May between 6:00-7:30pm; sunset time is around 8:15pm this time of year. Although sometimes it is simply not possible to schedule a photo shoot during the Golden Hours. So what then?
Great question; glad you asked! Consider scheduling your photo shoot as close to the Golden Hour as possible. Shooting at solar noon and surrounding daylight hours will yield hard light and is not advised. You may also want to consider your location choice; does your location choice offer shade to stand under for diffused light? Be sure to explain your concerns to your photographer and get their ideas on how to capture the best natural light. In some situations, a flash can be used to fill in the shadows. However, that's a topic for another blog post!
